Town 55 km northwest of Magdalena de Kino
A Kino mission town in the Altar valley whose church of San Pedro y San Pablo has a Moorish-style arched doorway; a long day trip.
Tubutama sits in the upper Altar valley, and its mission church of San Pedro y San Pablo is one of the jewels of the Ruta de las Misiones, the route that links the old Kino missions of north-western Sonora. Father Eusebio Francisco Kino founded the mission in 1691, and it became the head mission of this valley, with Átil and Oquitoa as its dependent chapels.
The mission had a hard history. It was destroyed in the Pima revolt of 1695 and rebuilt in 1699 and again in 1706; after another uprising in 1751 it had to be rebuilt once more, and by 1764 a new church stood. The church you see today has a striking arched entrance in a Mudéjar style that recalls Islamic architecture in Spain, and inside, the transept is devoted to the Passion of Christ, with an altarpiece showing the crown of thorns, the nails, and the lance.
Tubutama is a small, quiet village, and a museum here displays sacred ornaments from the mission. On the way you pass Oquitoa and Átil, two more mission villages with old churches.
What to see and do
Admire the Mudéjar-style arched doorway of the church of San Pedro y San Pablo.
Look for the Passion altarpiece with the instruments of the crucifixion inside.
Visit the museum of sacred ornaments.
Stop at the mission churches of Oquitoa and Átil on the same road.
Getting there
Tubutama is a long day trip from Magdalena: drive west to Santa Ana and on to Altar, then north up the Altar valley through Oquitoa and Átil. Allow around two hours each way and set out early. To be safe, fill up with fuel in Santa Ana or Altar.
55 km northwest of Magdalena de Kino
Directions from Magdalena de Kino on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather mild
Tubutama shares the climate of Magdalena de Kino, 55 km away. The best months to visit are Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec.
Make Magdalena de Kino your base
Tubutama is an easy trip from Magdalena de Kino, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Magdalena de Kino
-
San Ignacio de Cabórica
· Landmark · 9 km away
A Kino mission village just north of Magdalena, with a late-18th-century church and a mesquite spiral staircase in its tower. -
Misión de Cocóspera
· Archaeological site · 48 km away
The haunting roofless ruin of a Kino mission beside Highway 2 between Ímuris and Cananea, among the oldest in the Pimería Alta.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.